So it seems that time watching (especially with the Rolex brand) is right up there alongside an ongoing love affair with the motor car and motorbike, a thrifty attitude to finding an engagement ring as well as some old fashioned interests such as coin and stamp collecting.

Pontus Silfverstolpe, Barnebys leading international expert on auction houses, said: “There is an almost old fashioned feel to this list which speaks of affection and loyalty for known things that also appealed to previous generations.

“It would appear that Brits are not that different from their parents after all. And that there is something in the British character that loves a bargain.”

He says the British pattern differs significantly from other national buying habits in Europe.

For example in Germany and France, sculpture and porcelain are ranked high. So once again Britain seems to be lagging behind culturally in our buying habits.

Barnebys auction clients include the cream of the international fine art auction houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Philips as well as many solid national regional and local auction houses in five countries – Sweden, France, Germany, the UK and the USA.